Emily Thompson
Emily Thompson, born Schroeder, is the biological daughter of Hans Schroeder and Margaret Thompson and the adopted daughter of Nucky Thompson. She has an older brother, Teddy Thompson. She is played by twins Lucy and Josie Gallina. Biography Background Emily was likely born in Atlantic City. Her father, Hans Schroeder is a some time baker's assistant of German extraction. Her mother, Margaret Schroeder, is a housewife and first generation Irish immigrant. She has an older brother, Teddy. Hans is a gambler and heavy drinker with a violent temper, physically abusive even after Margaret falls pregnant again in 1919. Season 1 In January 1920 Margaret Schroeder is concerned about Hans being out of work during the winter. She visits Atlantic City Treasurer Nucky Thompson (without Hans knowing) to ask if he can help Hans find work and while he cannot he does give her a cash handout to help her family. Hans is suspicious when she is dropped off near their home having been driven back in Nucky's blue Rolls Royce limousine. She hides the cash under her mattress and lies about her whereabouts for the day. When Hans finds the cash he hits Margaret in front of Teddy and Emily. Emily is distressed by the violence, calling out for her mother and crying. Hans later goes out and loses the money and is beaten up by Nucky when he confronts him. Hans returns home and severely beats Margaret. She loses her baby and Teddy and Emily are heard crying inside the house. Margaret is admitted to hospital. Nucky has Hans framed for murder and killed when he finds out what Hans did to Margaret. ("Boardwalk Empire") Teddy and Emily are cared for by a neighbour until Margaret is discharged from the hospital. Margaret goes back to Nucky to ask for help again. ("The Ivory Tower") Margaret serves fried eggs to her neighbour, Edith Mauer, and her children. Emily asks Margaret when her baby will be born. Margaret smiles sadly and tells Emily that the stork must have gotten lost. Alderman Jim Neary comes round with a job offer for Margaret from Nucky. Edith agrees to care for the children while Margaret works at La Belle Femme dress shop. ("Broadway Limited") Margaret listens as her neighbour and babysitter Edith reads a story from the newspaper. Margaret’s children play in the next room. The story concerns the discovery of amnesia victim Anna Anderson who is claiming to be Princess Anastasia Romanov, the daughter of a Russian Tsar whose family were murdered by the Bolsheviks. Margaret likens the story to a fairytale. She objects when Edith tells the children to be quiet and then reads the story to the children. Edith jokes that she is the queen of England when Margaret calls Emily a princess. Margaret asks Edith where her sense of romance is and Edith says it left with her husband. Teddy asks Margaret to read the funny pages and Edith reminds him to say please. Margaret enjoys her own fairy tale experience when she goes to Nucky's birthday party to deliver a dress and enjoys a dance with Nucky. ("Anastasia") The family's sleep is disturbed by bootleggers storing alcohol behind their house. Margaret is scorned by Nucky when she bakes him soda bread as a gift so she sets out to regain his attention. She succeeds by having Prohibition Agents raid a high profile dinner he attends and he makes a late night visit to her house. ("Nights in Ballygran") Nucky offers to take financial care of Margaret and the children. She is initially reluctant but accepts after an altercation at work causes her to quit. Emily, Teddy and Margaret move across town to a lavish three bedroom house. Emily befriends her neighbour Ruby, who is of a similar age. ("Family Limitation") Ruby and Emily play in Emily's new home as Margaret has tea with Ruby's mother Annabelle. Later Nucky brings Margaret, Teddy and Emily to see his childhood home, which is being renovated. ("Home") In June Nucky attends the 1920 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. While he is away his brother is shot when one of his businesses is robbed. He phones Margaret in the middle of the night and asks her to move with the children to his suite on eighth floor of the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Margaret does as asked. ("Hold Me in Paradise") Season 2 Margaret wakes up in the night, thinking she heard a scream, and checks on Emily and Teddy; they are sleeping soundly. ("Gimcrack & Bunkum") At Margaret’s home Teddy is posing for a photograph to commemorate his first communion. Lillian brings Emily through to watch. ("The Age of Reason") At the end of June 1921 Margaret is concerned when Emily falls ill and asks Dr Surran to see her. He examines Emily in Margaret's lounge while Teddy eats in the next room. Margaret anxiously waits for the doctor’s findings while Owen Sleater drinks a cup of coffee. Surran announces that Emily’s temperature is 99.8 and asks Margaret to call him in the event that she spikes a fever. Margaret wonders if it was something Emily ate. Katy comes in and suggests that Emily over-exerted herself on a trip to the lake. Surran believes that it is likely to be a virus that is going around. Nucky Thompson comes through, looks Emily over and then sends Owen to get the car as he goes into the dining room. Owen finishes his drink and hands his empty cup to Katy. He says goodbye to both ladies, showing considerably more warmth towards Margaret. Margaret wonders if Owen is eating at her home now and Katy reassures her that it was only a coffee. Margaret asks Katy to take the children to see Lillian and she complies. ("Two Boats and a Lifeguard") Margaret, Nucky and Teddy play a board game while Emily sleeps in her mother’s arms. Teddy’s turn takes him to the Southampton space and he is curious about its location. Margaret explains that it is a large port in England and claims that she set sail for America from there. Teddy hopes to sail the voyage himself. Nucky is transfixed by the painting of a ship in the corner of the board. Teddy has to remind “Uncle Nucky” of his turn. Nucky returns his attention to his family and says that he would like the children to begin calling him “Dad.” Teddy looks to his mother and she asks if he would like that. He says that he would; Nucky reaches out to brush Emily’s cheek and tells her that he means her too. Teddy tries the prompt again; “your move Dad.” Margaret smiles and Nucky agrees that it is. ("Two Boats and a Lifeguard") Nucky awakes the next night to find Margaret nursing a feverish and moaning Emily next to his bed. ("Two Boats and a Lifeguard") Emily improves somewhat and Nucky goes on a trip to Ireland. On July 1, 1921 she wakes up unable to move her legs. She tells Lillian who goes to fetch her mother. Margaret finds Emily awake in her bed. She jokes that Emily cannot be sleeping beauty with her eyes open. Emily says that she cannot move and Margaret says that Emily needs to get up to find a fair prince. She sits on the bed and feels her daughter forehead, asking if she is still not feeling well. Emily repeats that she cannot move her legs. Margaret draws back the sheets and squeezes Emily’s knees, asking if she can feel it. Emily says that she does not know and the concern on Margaret’s face deepens. Margaret asks Emily to wiggle her toes and then repeats the instruction more forcefully when there is no movement; Emily insists that she is trying. Margaret calls for her servants and Katy answers, sensing the distress in her voice. Margaret instructs Katy to call Dr Surran to see Emily immediately. Katy hesitates, looking at Emily and Margaret scolds and then hurries her. Emily reaches up to Margaret and Margaret holds her close, telling her that it is nothing and calling her “Cushla” (Irish, meaning beat of my heart). ("Battle of the Century") Margaret, Lillian and Teddy watch as Dr Surran examines Emily. He passively flexes and extends her right foot and then asks her to attempt the same movement with no response. Surran says that she is doing well and then asks Margaret if Teddy sleeps in the same room. Margaret confirms that he does and Surran asks her to take him out. He says that he will need to examine Teddy too. Margaret asks what his diagnosis is and he ignores the question and instructs her to do as he says. Margaret anxiously instructs Lillian to take Teddy downstairs, and then thinks better of it, telling her to get Teddy out of the house. Lillian wonders where she should take him and Margaret says that it does not matter before deciding on the porch. Lillian does as asked and Margaret turns back to Surran and tells him that she believes that Emily has polio. Surran says that there is no point in speculating and Margaret angrily wonders if he is attempting to soothe her. Surran admits that Emily has all the symptoms of polio and outlines a plan to admit her to quarantine at the children’s hospital. Margaret makes to approach Emily and Surran reminds her that the disease is contagious. Margaret tearfully says that she cannot drive and asks Surran to take her to the hospital. ("Battle of the Century") A team of nurses in surgical protective gear assist Dr Edward Holt as he prepares Emily for a lumbar puncture. One nurse cleans Emily’s back with an iodine solution while another holds her hand, strokes her hair and explains what is going to happen. Margaret and Surran watch through the window of the door into the procedure room. As Holt approaches Emily rolls to face the door and calls out for Margaret. Holt calls for a nurse to hold her still. Emily screams as Holy inserts the needle. Margaret is unable to come in to comfort her daughter because she is under quarantine. The following day Margaret has the staff help her to collect and burn Emily's contaminated things and sends a telegram to Nucky with the news. That night she sneaks into the restricted patient clinic to be with Emily while the staff listen to the Dempsey vs. Carpentier boxing match on the wireless. ("Battle of the Century") Three weeks later on July 23 1921 Emily is out of quarantine. Margaret, Nucky and Teddy visit Emily in the hospital. Margaret asks how Emily is feeling and Nucky tells her that she has been missed at home. Margaret shows Emily a doll that she has brought with her and Emily wonders where her favourite doll, Miss Wheatley is. Margaret avoids the question, knowing that they burned Emily’s things for fear of spreading the infection, and tells her that the new doll is Miss Wheatley’s sister. Margaret asks if Emily likes the dolls hair and Nucky says that Emily has prettier hair. Teddy sits at the foot of the bed, feeling ignored by the rest of the family. Dr Holt later tells Margaret and Nucky that Emily has spinal polio and is likely to be permanently paralysed. He plans to discharge her after she is fitted with leg braces. She will receive physical therapy once she is able to tolerate it. ("Georgia Peaches") Margaret watches as Holt reviews Emily, who now has her leg braces fitted, at the hospital. Also present are Margaret’s priest Father Brennan and a nurse. Holt asks if Emily is willing to try walking. Emily looks to Margaret who encourages her. They help her down from the couch and into a standing position, Holt supporting her on one side and Margaret on the other. Margaret asks how it feels and Emily tells her that her legs are rubbery. Holt warns Emily that they are going to let go and Margaret reassures her that they will remain by her side. When they do so Emily begins to collapse so they quickly help her back onto the couch. Nevertheless, Holt tells Emily that she did well and Margaret praises Emily for standing straight up. Margaret asks Brennan to confirm this and he tells Emily that she was right there with the best of them. Holt offers her a lolly from his coat pocket and Margaret prompts her to say thank you. Holt asks for Emily’s permission to talk to Margaret in private, which she grants. Holt tells Margaret that Emily needs to develop strength in her upper body and cautions her not to let Emily revert to crawling. Holt goes to sign Emily’s discharge papers. ("Under God's Power She Flourishes") Emily is initially reticent when encouraged to attempt to walk alone by Lillian and Katy in August 1921. Over the course of the next few days her strength and confidence build with further assistance from Teddy and Nucky. Emily has become comfortable calling Nucky "daddy" by this time. Margaret and Nucky are married at St. Finbar's Church later that month. After the wedding Emily is terrified by a thunder storm and Margaret reassures her that the noise is just Angel's bowling in heaven. ("To the Lost") Season 3 Nucky and Margaret Thompson plan a lavish Egyptian themed party on December 31, 1922 to commemorate the new year. Margaret marshals her staff to prepare for the party at her house. Emily is recovered from the acute polio but still wearing her leg braces. Teddy overhears a radio story about aviatrix Carrie Duncan and Margaret excitedly tells him that Duncan will soon be the first person to fly across the continent. The family gets a new dog for 1923, Regina. Lillian and Emily play with the dog during their lessons. On January 9, 1923 Emily is part of the audience at St. Finbar's Church when Nucky receives the St. Gregory's Award for donating his land to the church. Relationships *Hans Schroeder - Father (deceased) *Margaret Schroeder - Mother *Teddy Schroeder - Brother *Nucky Thompson - Step father (deceased) *Owen Sleater - Bodyguard (deceased) *Richard Harrow - Former bodyguard (deceased) *Lillian - Nanny *Katy - Maid *Edith Mauer - Former neighbor and babysitter Memorable Quotes Appearances Category:Characters Category:Atlantic City Category:Children Category:German people Category:Irish people Category:Recurring Characters Category:Season 1 Category:Season 2 Category:Season 3